PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) reported Thursday morning that a man it refers to as "one of the most prolific graffiti vandals" in the city has been arrested and indicted.
Jerry Mijangos, 27, who allegedly uses the tag "KASR" in his graffiti, has been arrested and released multiple times in the past few years for alleged acts of vandalism, according to police. In Thursday's news release, PPB said it's aware of hundreds of criminal tags committed by Mijangos over the past two and a half years.
According to PPB, since 2021, the Portland Central Precinct Neighborhood Response Team has referred at least 29 cases involving Mijangos and tagging to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.
Mijangos was first arrested on Nov. 10, 2021, for tagging several properties. He was charged with two counts of first-degree criminal mischief and one count of second-degree criminal mischief.
On April 8, 2022, Mijangos was arrested a second time after he was caught tagging. He was cited and released because PPB said the county's booking policy at the time, which placed limits on booking for lower-level crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic, didn't allow him to be booked.
In April 2023, he pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement and was sentenced to probation.
On Jan. 1, 2024, Mijangos was arrested for a probation violation and indicted Jan. 30 on additional cases. PPB said he remains in custody due to his probation status.
Another prolific Portland tagger, professional skateboarder Emile Laurent, was arrested in August 2022 for allegedly vandalizing buildings, walls and signs across Portland. But he avoided jail time by cutting a plea deal with Multnomah County prosecutors.
Laurent pleaded guilty to one felony count and three misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the remaining 21 counts of criminal mischief. His sentence? Three years of probation, 100 hours of community service and $6,800 in restitution.
PPB continues to investigate graffiti vandalism cases in Portland. Anyone with information on vandals should email tips to investigators at crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov, ATTN: Central NRT.
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